ring hill public meeting

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Ring Hill Forest Community Meeting March 2, 2005

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7:00 – 7:15 Introductions 7:15 – 7:45 Presentation about property and management objectives 7:45 – 8:15 Q and A 8:15 – 8:30 Next Steps Agenda

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Ring Hill Forest is located on the west slope of the Snoqualmie Valley NE of Redmond and SE of Woodinville. It is surrounded by rural development to the north, west and south, and farmland to the east. The area is zoned RA-5 and RA-10 and is within a Rural Forest Focus Area

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320 acres Designated as “working forest” in KC Land portfolio

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History Named for T.M. Ring Logging Company, which first harvested timber on the land in 1911. Logged by Siler Logging Company from 1962-1965 Purchased by Port Blakely Tree Farms in late 1960s. Purchased by King County in 1997 with funds from the Arts and Natural Resources Initiative, part of which was allocated to conserve working forest lands.

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Vision King County will manage Ring Hill Forest to serve as a model for private forest landowners by providing revenue from sustainable timber production while maintaining the ecological functions that forests provide. Goals Provide revenue from timber harvest to fund the forestland management program Demonstrate progressive forest management Sustain and enhance environmental benefits

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Topics addressed Forest Health Timber and wood products Soils and slopes Roads Water quality, riparian and wetland areas Fish and wildlife habitat Aesthetics and recreation Landscape context

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Forest Health / Timber Harvest Mixed coniferous / hardwood stands – mostly hemlock and big leaf maple 40 – 85+ yrs old (mostly 40) Invasive weeds - holly, ivy, herb robert, and tansy ragwort

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Dwarf mistletoe infestation… A parasite that grows in tree bark and wood, absorbing water and nutrients of the host tree that otherwise are used for growth.

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Timber and wood products 11 distinct stands Stocking levels and timber volumes are low. Operability constraints due to streams and steep slopes…from 32% to 43% of the forest will not be managed for harvest.

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Soils, slopes and roads 5 soil types – all compatible with forest management. Steep slopes, ranging from 60% - 100%, will prevent harvest on much of the property. Extensive network of old roads is mostly revegetated – no additional action is required.

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Water Quality, Riparian and Wetland Areas 4 sub-basins drain east to Tuck Creek and Snoqualmie River Mostly poor fish habitat due to steepness and culverts Four class 2 forested wetlands Steams and buffers will be buffered assuming fish use - 140 ft.

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Fish and Wildlife Habitat Forest cover and diversity of vegetation provide good habitat for generalist species. Small size and surrounding development limit use by far ranging mammals. There are no observed threatened or endangered species

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Recreational Use / Access Limited recreational use at present Limited funding to develop recreational opportunities

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The Plan Landscape Considerations Management decisions will consider activities in the surrounding area. Riparian, wetland and unstable slope buffers will provide wildlife habitat throughout the portions of the forest managed for timber. Reforestation and silvicultural management will stress species diversity and structural complexity.

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Management of Ring Hill Forest will result in improved forest health and resilience of the forest – a benefit to wildlife. Wide riparian, wetland and slope stability buffers will remain unmanaged, providing areas of hiding and breeding cover for the species that frequent Ring Hill Forest. There is currently a shortage of large snags and woody debris. The timber management strategy calls for leaving large, dominant, healthy trees. Wildlife

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Riparian and Wetland Areas All wetlands and streams will be buffered as required by WDNR Forest Practice Rules and according to best available science. Streams will be buffered according to presumed fish use. Some of the stream reaches in Ring Hill Forest will have buffers largely augmented by slope stability buffers. The combined result will be wide wildlife travel corridors, increased accumulation of large woody debris, and additional shade. Harvest system requirements will be designed to avoid or minimize disturbance to ground vegetation and duff layers on all slopes, which will help prevent erosion.

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Timber harvest Harvests within Ring Hill Forest will be designed to maximize forest productivity and improve forest health while protecting habitat and maintaining hydrologic function. Harvests will focus on removing mistletoe infested hemlock and planting a diversity of tree species. Timing between harvests will average 7 to 10 years for maintenance of hydrologic function, tree root-strength integrity, and wildlife hiding cover. Improved forest health will reduce fire hazard.

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Timber harvest map 5 harvest units Up to 100 stations (10,000 feet) of road construction

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Contact Info Benj Wadsworth King County Natural Lands Program 206-296-7805 benj.wadsworth@metrokc.gov http://dnr.metrokc.gov/natural-lands Questions? Comments?